Car-coupling



(Model.)

F. RITTER.

GAR eoUPLINe Patented Aug. 29, 1882.

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w@ iN IINrTen STATES PATENT @ameno FRANCIS RITTER, 0F BLAIRS'IOWN, IOWA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,587, dated August 29, 1882.

Application filed January 23, 1882.

To all fr0/wm it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANCIS RITTER, of Blairstown, in the county ot' Benton, in the State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved ItailroadvUar Coupler and Cary-Bumper; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to that class of carcou/plings where a double-headed draw-bar or link -is employed; and the object ot' the said invention is to secure a coupling which is automatic in its coupling movement, and which is more efficient and etl'ectivein its operation than those heretofore employed.

Heretofore in this class of couplings, where a double-headed link has been employed, it has been usual to connect the cars by means of Spring-jaws and other yielding devices which grasp and retain the heads ofthe draw-bars; but constructions of this character are objectionable in that they entail the use, as before stated, of springs, Sie., thus increasing the liability of the device to become inoperative, owing to the springs giving way to the greatstrain to which they are subjected.

In the drawings forming a part of this specitication, Figure l is a longitudinal section of two car draw-heads having my invention applied thereto. Fig.2 is adetail view, showing one ofthe key-irons.

The same letters of reference refer to the same parts throughout the specification.

A A represent respectively' the draw-heads of two cars, the hase C C of each terminating in aprojection or lug, B B', the outer opposite faces of which are inclined and extend rearwardly from the front of the draw-heads.

D is the draw-bar or link, which is provided at each end with a head, a a', arranged so as to form a lip, b b. The head a has a slot, e, adapted to allow the passage transversely ot an iron, E, manipulated from the side of the draw-head by any suitable arran gement. Each key-iron E has a fin or rib, c, which, when passed through the slot c, clear of the head, and is turned to the position shown in Fig. 1, will key theiron and preventits withdrawal through any cause, thus insuring the retention of the (Model.)

head a in its drawhead. It will also be noted that the keyiron acts asa pivotal shaft for the draw-bar or link D.

The coupling operation is effected automatically bythe movement ofthe two ears toward each other. rIhe link D being held in position by the iron E, as described, the head a ofthe link comes in contact with the inclined face or projection B', and is in consequence of its forward movement forced upward until the lip b drops over and is retained by the upper end of the said projection B', in which position it may be retained by passing an iron, E', similar to the key-iron E, from the side of the drawhead, and allowing said iron to bear transversely on the top ofthe draw-baror link, thus preventing anyverticalmovement of the same.

The slot c in the head a is elongated in order to a-llow of the free play of the draw-heads without uncoupling the cars.

It is frequently desirable to push the ears around instead of pulling them-as, for -instance, in switching movementsin which operations the desideratnm is to remove the eouplinglink out of the way, the movement being communicated by the contact of the draw-heads alone. To effect this the iron E is withdrawn, andthe iron E is moved to allow the rib c to come within the slot ofthe head a, when the link D can be moved vertically upward, and the head a can rest in any one of several positions by means of the irons EEZ, arranged at sufficient heights beneath the head to support the same.

It will be obvious that ordinary ring-links can be employed in connection with drawheads of the before-described construction, for when thesaid links have passed over the pro jections they can be retained in place by the insertion of one of the key-irons EE E2, which bears upon and prevents the link from moving from ott' the projection.

It will also be apparent that cars can be coupled together where only one of said cars is provided with my draw-head. The link can be retained in place by the pin passing vertically through the draw-head and link, the other end being secured by the key-irons, as before described.

I claim- IOO 1. The combination, with a draw-head havheaded link D, having the slot c, and the keyingl a. projection, B, of a dmw-bar or link, D, iron E, hiwing n fn or rib, e, substantially as and iron E, having a rib, c, and adapted to opset fort-h.

crate the coupling-link, substantially as here- FRANCIS RITTER. 5 in shown and described. VtnosseS:

2. The combination, with the drawheads A HENRY BASSETT,

A', having the projections BB', of tho donble- ISAAC G. BURNET. 

